Starshot: Space Circus Fever

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New screen-shots of Ocean's Starshot (formerly known as: Space Circus).

By IGN Staff

In Infogrames Entertainment's latest platformer players take on the role of Starshot, a performer in the galactic Space Circus. The cute, slightly freakish juggler is on a quest to revitalize the circus with new enlistments and attractions. But many obstacles and competitors are out to stop Starshot before he can succeed. And so the story begins one day as the Space Circus touches down on Earth and the juggling performer sets out to restore its popularity.

Starshot jumps, swims, runs, slings stars (that can be controlled in mid-flight) and flies through a beautifully textured 3D world on his journey. The game includes more than 7 huge universes to explore, each with its own objectives and secrets. But the best aspect of Starshot is its completely non-linear gameplay. There are no set paths, nothing that must be done before access to something else can be unlocked and exploration can lead anywhere and everywhere. Players are encouraged, in fact, to take new routes at every turn.

The camera is completely configurable and can be zoomed in or out of a world depending on a player's preference. Likewise, the camera can be scaled and angled to any degree during gameplay and the effect is very impressive. Players can go from a zoomed out view of the entire world to a third-person over-the-shoulder angle (ala Super Mario 64) in a matter of seconds.

Visually, the game boasts a lot of detail and eye-popping colors. Animation of each character is superb and realistic with busty blondes the development team refers to as "Baywatch babes", lugheaded army commanders, four-armed slug monsters, and giant mounds of cheese making up just a small percentage of the characters in the various worlds (more than 300 in all). Infogrames is quick to point out the game's unique "I3D engine", which can handle more than 10 characters and 50,000 polygons on-screen at once with no slow-down.

The worlds themselves are generally bright and colorful. The first level pits Starshot on a tropical island surrounded by shimmering water and infested with mountainous terrain. Trees, bridges, caves volcano-like pits lead everywhere -- there's even a mound of earth that spirals up and up. Another level takes place in space with no gravity. Starshot can run along the microchip-like terrain over and over again in full 360 degree turns while doing battle.

Outlook Early impressions of the N64 version reveal that the game looks a bit less flashy than its PC counterpart. However, if the 64-bit version of the title retains the complete sense of freedom, colorful characters and tight control featured in its PC predecessor, Starshot could be a surprise hit for the console when it debuts early next year.